Brother My Brother
by Spiritstrike
Summary: Sequel to Little Shotty: Six months have past after the 'sparkling incident.' Hot Shot's kinship with Optimus has been strained and now they no longer see eye to eye. But things are about to change forever when someone arrives on Earth to cause trouble. This someone just so happens to bear a terrible grudge against Optimus Prime for stealing what he believes is his.
1. Tightening Pressures

Finally, the long awaited sequel to "Little Shotty" is here! I'm so sorry it took so long, but I was trying so hard to work out how to start the story. And now that I've found a way, you're about to be in for one hell of a ride. Friendships and loyalties will be tested, and just about everyone will go through a whole lot. I knoe I haven't finished Weight of the World yet, but I'll get around to it as soon as I can just after I've done the chapter to "Guardian Angel." You didn't think I'd give up on it have you? Nah, of course not. Hope you enjoy this and please brace yourself for heartwarming moments, depressing moments, and best of all, mentions about Hot Shot's adorable moments from the "Little Shotty" and maybe extended scenes or deleted scenes. Depends on what happens. I go where my muse takes me. Now sit back, strap youselves in, and brace yourselves for impact as you dive into this incredible story of trust, friendship, loyalty, and most importantly of all... family.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Whoa!"

Hot Shot barely jumped out of the way as Sideswipe ran right past him, heading towards the Command Centre. The young mech was going so fast that he slipped on his big feet and went skidding through the hall. Hot Shot watched in amusement as his 'brother' continued to slide through the corridors, avoiding a shrieking Jetfire who just barely managed to avoid falling on his aft, and a shocked looking Blurr, who was just coming out of his quarters from a decent recharge.

Sideswipe managed to come to an abrupt halt in front of a frowning Scavenger and a suspicious looking Optimus Prime into the Command Centre. Both elders had their arms folded across their chest and were staring at the younger mech with amusement. As Hot Shot walked into the room, followed by Jetfire, Blurr, Hoist, and a stiffening Starscream, the alarms blared across the base, signalling the awakening of a new Mini-Con.

After Starscream had allied himself with the Autobots, both Hoist and Sideswipe had been a little hostile towards him. The crimson and ivory seeker had done nothing but attempted to prove himself in his comrades' optics. Time and time again, Starscream did nothing but try to work himself to the best of his abilities and get the others to accept him. But Optimus told him that he did not need to prove himself to him or the others, and that it takes time for them to come to terms with him after what he had done to help bring Hot Shot back to them.

But the seeker was sceptical about Optimus's kindness and, whenever the opportunity presented itself, often plunged into battle recklessly and tried to hog most of the fight the Autobots were trying to do. But despite that, Starscream bore the Autobot symbol over his scratched up Decepticon symbols on his wings with pride. While he was still a little grumpy when the others at least expected it, he was more than happy to fight alongside mechs who cared about one another instead of bashing the living daylights out of each other.

Sideswipe picked himself up off the floor, casting his optics onto the floor as if he had done something terribly wrong.

"Sorry, Optimus," he apologised. "I... slipped."

"It's alright, Sideswipe," Optimus reassured him. "Accidents do happen these days."

Hot Shot chuckled at Sideswipe's embarrassment and then helping him to his feet, patting him on the shoulder.

Optimus Prime, somehow, cast an almost weary glance in Hot Shot's general direction, but said nothing, shaking his head and turning away from the yellow mech.

Hot Shot frowned slightly at this. Ever since he had been turned into a sparkling by accident nearly six months ago and had been turned back to his normal self, things had become... complicated between him and Optimus Prime. It seemed like when the day Hot Shot had been turned into a sparkling, he had seen a side of his Prime he never even knew he had.

He had been shocked when Optimus told him about his past and that he had to hide his emotions for the sake of his friends and comrades. The darkness that lingered within his spark unsettled Hot Shot a little and he feared that if something like a negative emotion triggered it, then he was worried that nothing would survive the wrath of the Prime.

Although they both promised each other that they would renew their father-son relationship when the war was over, it seemed to Hot Shot that Optimus had forgotten about it and had put a huge amount of distance between himself and everyone else. Not even Jetfire's constant pranks and cheerfulness brought a smile to the commander's golden optics anymore.

_Why did Optimus insist that we never speak about our relationship again?_ Hot Shot wondered. Was it because he feared for Hot Shot's safety and that he was concerned of the possibilities of Megatron trying to use it against them in the future? Or did Optimus fear that their closeness would put everyone in danger because of the unnatural creature that lurked around like a lioness stalking her prey through the undergrowth?

_He must have a reason for his behaviour,_ Hot Shot thought, folding his arms across his chest and looking thoughtful.

"Autobots," Optimus said, snapping Hot Shot out of his thoughts. "It seems like we have detected another Mini-Con that has woken up."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Jetfire asked, looking around at the others, standing tall and superbly over them. "Are we waiting just for something to come along and get or are we going to just stand around and talk?"

"Hang on, Jetfire," Blurr said, frowning at the vice commander. "We don't know anything else yet except for the fact that a Mini-Con has activated and that it is somewhere on this planet. How would you explain it to everyone else that we just leap in and grab it without any knowledge whatsoever?"

The white and red shuttle mech glared ice daggers at Blurr that probably would've frozen him solid, but the blue, white, and orange mech turned away so that he missed the cold glare. Sometimes, Blurr could be a complete know it all when it came certain things.

"Blurr's right, Jetfire," Optimus said, nodding. "We don't know what is out there and we need more data." He turned to Red Alert, who was sitting at the control panel, typing away at the buttons like a mad whizz kid. "Red Alert, can you get a visual?"

The blue and white mech lifted his visored head and turned in Optimus's direction, facial expression grim. "I've got a signal, but it's weak unfortunately. I've managed to use the scanners to boost the signal as best as I possibly can."

He typed in a few commands and the screen came up with a blurry vision of a massive desert that was covered in rocks, dirt. Hot Shot doubted that even a single life form could exist in such a place like that.

"From what I can tell," continued Red Alert, "it looks like Texas, as far as I can."

"That looks oddly familiar," Hot Shot said, his blue optics squinting at the image of a canyon in the distance. "The kids showed me a picture of the place before. It looks like... Palo Duro Canyon or something like that."

"Are you positive, Hot Shot?" Optimus asked, his optics squinting into a frown.

Hot Shot blinked his optics in surprise. Out of all the mechs here in this room, Optimus was the first one the doubt him. Never in his entire life had the Autobot commander ever done that. Hot Shot reeled back in shock and kept himself from shouting in protest at him. Why would Optimus doubt him after everything they had been through? It was not like him to do that!

Hot Shot wasn't sure if it was blind luck or if Jetfire sensed the tension in the air or another argument coming his way, Hot Shot was secretly glad that the ever loyal vice commander decided to jump in before something came up. "Hey, guys," he said in his usual bravado tone, "now would be a good time to leave before the Decepticons find out about the Mini-Con, eh?"

Optimus nodded and turned away while Hot Shot quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Tension had been thick between him and Optimus for nearly a month now. The barrier Optimus had placed around himself had put a huge amount of pressure on the yellow Autobot and they now often got into arguments that often involved things that had something to do with the war and their relationship.

Hot Shot was getting tired of the arguments, but Optimus Prime was being so stubborn and so ridiculous about putting aside their friendship and never wanting to speak about it whenever they were in public or even when they were alone together. Hot Shot felt so alone now, despite his newfound friendship with Starscream and his brotherhood with Sideswipe.

Nothing was the same anymore, and it never will be.

"Alright, Autobots," said Optimus. "Let's roll out!"

One by one, the Autobots all rushed out of the Command Centre and filed their way onto the all too familiar elevator below the base where the space bridge laid waiting. Optimus ordered Red Alert to lock in the coordinates after ordering him to stay behind as they went down, but Hot Shot wasn't sure if they were going to be as close as they could possibly get.

After they arrived at their destined floor, the space bridge was already showing the canyon, meaning their destination was clear. They shifted into their secondary forms (their vehicle forms) and each of them revved their engine. While Hot Shot was excited to be going out again, waiting for the next Mini-Con to come online, he was also nervous. It had been twelve days since the last activation and he thought he was starting to get a bit rusty, but thanks to Scavenger's teachings, he never forgot anything.

"Autobots, engage!"

Both Starscream and Jetfire were the first to go through. It had been their usual routine now ever since Starscream had joined up. Their mission was to search and find from the air while the others follow closely behind them, keeping optics peeled for anything on the ground that might be suspicious looking or anything out of the ordinary. The others followed in suit, the massive space bridge stretching their bodies as though they were being pulled like a rubber band being stretched to its limits until it snapped, their bodies vanishing from sight and the space bridge closed.

"Good luck," Red Alert muttered underneath his breath before he noticed something on the screen, frowning. "And by Primus, please hurry back soon."

* * *

High up in the sky, Jetfire and Starscream zipped left and right, searching for anything that might catch their optics, even a shimmer of light that could get their attention. Anything would be better than the thoughts that had been on their processors ever since the day Megatron had attempted to kidnap Hot Shot and tried to turn him into one of them. The results had not been pretty and the memories are still fresh in their processors.

"_See anything yet, Screamer?"_ Jetfire snickered over the internal com-links so that no one would hear them.

"_Don't call me that!"_ Starscream hissed.

With time, the two had become the best of friends, but there were times when Starscream's recklessness put a strain on their friendship. Often Jetfire would call Starscream 'Screamer' just to get a reaction out of him and it always worked. This resulted playful bickering between the two, but sometimes it would come to hard blows whenever they pushed the right kind of buttons. Then Starscream would call Jetfire 'Jets' just to piss him off as well. The amusing bickering between the two was something to enjoy.

"_Should we split up?"_ Starscream asked, hesitating a little.

"_Of course,"_ said Jetfire. _"But stay within communication range. Not only do we have to keep an optic out for the Mini-Con, but for the Decepticons as well."_

"_Very well... Jets,"_ Starscream laughed and zipped away before Jetfire could protest on being called that nickname.

Down below on the ground, the other Autobots had arrived on the scene, had transformed into their robot modes, and were admiring the view on a cliff. The view was something to admire. While there appeared to be no life forms around, there was still plant life around. Bushes were growing everywhere, covering up nearly an entire land region that lay out before them. Surrounding the almost bare and dry ground were nothing but gigantic cliff faces that overlooked the land below them. The Autobots would stand there all day enjoying the view, but they had work to do and they were not here for the pleasantry of the scenery.

"Let's get moving Autobots," Optimus said, the sun glistening on his brilliant ruby red armour. "We have a Mini-Con to find. Spread out and begin your search, but stay within communication range in case you run into any trouble with the Decepticons. Do not attack them unless they attack you first."

"Roger that, sir," everyone replied, half of them nodding their response.

Soon the group dispersed, going their separate ways to search for their main goal. Hot Shot thought it was best that he head northeast to see what he can find. He leapt off the edge of the cliff, his arms spread wide and his legs locked tightly against each other as he prepared himself for a rough landing.

He landed with relative ease and he grinned to himself. It felt good to get away from the pressure of Optimus's stubbornness and the constant arguments they had been having. But deep down he missed their friendship and the times they had spent together before everything started falling apart with Optimus being so distant from everyone with only Scavenger by his side.

Hot Shot sighed quietly to himself and began to head in the direction he had chosen, but he was unaware of a figure watching him with intense orange optics up high on a cliff on the opposite side of the canyon.

* * *

Megatron growled angrily as he and the other Decepticons stared rather... furiously at the canyon. Not only was he furious at the way the land below him spread out, he was also downright furious about the fact that the Autobots had been constantly beating them with every single opportunity that had presented itself. Now the Decepticons were on the edge of the thin line that had been drawn between them and the Autobots and nothing was going to stop them from achieving their goal to spread peace throughout the universe.

The past six months had been nothing but negativity for them. There had been more failures than the usual, and this time, things had been going from bad to worse in a matter of days. Not only had Starscream joined up with the Autobots, but the rest of the Decepticons were starting to doubt Megatron's leadership, but they feared to express it because of possibly getting a beating for being so incompetent.

Now that his punching bag had joined up with the Autobots, Megatron had turned his rage out on Thrust. The poor conehead now suffered in Starscream's place whenever failures occurred and it made things all the more worse between Megatron and his Decepticon loonies. Still, the thought of attempting to bring an Autobot into their ranks due to their low numbers had been a complete failure as well.

After he had tried to turn Hot Shot against Optimus Prime and his Autobot friends, the Decepticon leader had thought constantly day in and day out on what to do next. Nothing had come into mind, but perhaps bringing in another warrior from the Decepticons on Cybertron could be a possibility, but he knew it would be too much effort and put a strain on his Decepticon army who were busy fighting against the Autobots. Enough numbers had been taken already.

"Megatron, should we go find the Autobots or do we find the Mini-Con?" Demolisher asked from out of the blue, almost startling Megatron.

"We spread into two teams," ordered Megatron. "One group will find the Autobots and give them a surprise they will not forget. The second team will search for the Mini-Con. Knowing Prime he probably ordered the group to split up to find it and also ordered someone to scout ahead. Demolisher, you will lead the scouting team. I will see to it that the Autobots are kept away."

Demolisher saluted and selected the 'Cons that would come with him. He picked Wheeljack, Cyclonus, and Sideways, leaving Megatron with Thrust and Tidal Wave. The first group headed off down the canyon, while Megatron and his two minions scouted around the canyon, searching for the Autobots.

* * *

Hot Shot kicked at a random rock, sending it clattering down a hill. He had probably searched for almost an hour and he still hadn't found the Mini-Con panel. As far as he could tell, there was absolutely nothing here in this dreaded wasteland and he was beginning to overheat. He could feel his systems having a hard time trying to cool him down by turning on the fans in his body. They were working overtime now and he could feel the heat creeping into his CPU.

"Ugh!" he growled, throwing his hands up in the air and cursing at the sky, then sun, and the heat. "Why does Optimus have to make things so complicated? Doesn't he acknowledge me anymore? Doesn't he care what happens to me anymore?"

He kicked at another rock and sent it flying into the air. It bounced off a cliff's face near the top and then hit him square in the forehead. He gritted his dental plates and stomped off towards the south where the canyon had narrowed down to a fair amount. It was cooler there with plenty of shade. Maybe there was a chance that the Mini-Con could be there. If not, he may have to go north where the canyon widened somewhat.

As he reached the near the end of the canyon, his sensors picked up something on his scanners. Lifting an optic ridge, he turned and faced the west where the cliffs were. He couldn't tell what it was, but he knew that it had blipped a little before it vanished off his radar.

"Odd," he said to himself thoughtfully. "Who would be out here in the middle of nowhere?"

Shaking his head and continuing his wandering, Hot Shot threw back his head and checked his chronometer. The time was late in the afternoon, and it won't be long now before he was forced to turn back and locate his comrades. Darkness did not sit well with him anymore. Somehow, it made him feel lonely and it reminded him of the days when Optimus held him close to his chest and fed him warm energon through a tube in his chest.

"What's wrong with you, Optimus?" he asked himself. "Why do you push me away?"

He finally came to an abrupt halt when he realised that he was now at the end of the canyon and there was still no sign of the Mini-Con. Growling in frustration, Hot Shot turned his com-link on, calling to Jetfire, "Hey, Jets, I've hit a dead end and there is still nothing I can find. Think you can swing around to my position and help me out, buddy?"

"_I'll see what I can do,"_ Jetfire responded. _"What's your position?"_

"North at the end of the canyon," Hot Shot replied.

"_Alright, heading to you even as I speak,"_ Jetfire said. _"Think you can hold your position long enough for me to get there?"_

"Sure can, Jets. Hot Shot out."

While he waited patiently for Jetfire to arrive, Hot Shot approached the wall of the canyon and leaned against it, folding his arms across his chest and going into a deep state of pondering. He couldn't remember the last time Optimus Prime had been so determined to make him a better leader. Wasn't that why Optimus brought him onto his team in the first place? To make him better than he usually was? Or was it to make him stronger or to make him something else? Hot Shot didn't know anymore, and their arguing was getting close to leading to conflict.

What did Hot Shot do to make Optimus so distant? The young mech knew nothing, but one of the possible option was the fear of letting the blackness within his spark take over him should he lose control over his emotions. Optimus had changed so much in such a short amount of time, it no longer made any sense as to why things had changed so rapidly.

_Still,_ Hot Shot thought, _that doesn't mean that the thing will take over him again if he could just be happy!_ What did it matter if his father-figure, of all mechs, didn't have to do this to everyone? They now had to worry about Optimus's condition and the only ones who knew about it were Hot Shot, Scavenger, Starscream, and Jetfire.

Placing a hand over his face in anguish, Hot Shot struggled to hold back his tears of guilt. "I'm so sorry, Optimus," he whispered quietly. "I'm sorry for what has happened to you."

"Hmmm, now that's a face anyone would find extremely disturbing."

Hot Shot jumped at the voice and leapt to his feet, half expecting it to be Jetfire. But much to his surprise, there was no one there. Frowning, he glanced around, searching for the owner of the voice. It somehow took a bitter amount of concentration before he realised that the energy signature he had detected earlier was right above him.

He looked up and dropped his jaw in shock.

High above him was none other than a tall, blue and white mech with piercing orange optics and unusual looking wings mounted behind his shoulders. The mech released his thrusters and gently lowered himself in front of Hot Shot. Hot Shot gasped in shock when he saw the Autobot symbol mounted on his chest, shining brightly.

"Who are you?" he asked the mech. "Optimus did send out an order to bring other Autobots."

"I'm here for my own purposes," stated mech, whose tone was as cold as ice. "As for whom I am... your worst nightmare."

"What are you–?" Hot Shot tried to say

But he never got a chance to finish off his sentence, for the mech released a punch into his midsection and Hot Shot let out a startled gasp as he was winded. Clutching his abdomen in pain while still struggling to breathe, Hot Shot collapsed onto his knees before he fell flat on his stomach, optics flickering in and out before they faded into unconsciousness.

As the familiar sonic boom of Jetfire's approach signalled his arrival, the mech glanced up and then hauled Hot Shot over his shoulder, ignited his own thrusters and took off. Jetfire, spotting the mech and the knocked out Hot Shot, blinked in surprise at his let out a shout.

"Hey! Come back you!" He attempted to give chase, but the mech disappeared long before he could reach him. "Darn it! Jetfire to Optimus Prime, come in Optimus!"

"_Optimus Prime here,"_ Optimus replied in his casual tone. _"What is it Jetfire?"_

"Hot Shot's just been kidnapped by some mech from out of nowhere!"

"_Hang tight, Jetfire! I'm on my way!"_


	2. Ultra Magnus

When Hot Shot switched his optics online, he found himself lying on his side with his left optic awakening to darkness and he realised that at least half of his head was buried deep within soft soil. Gritting his dental plates, he used his right arm to push himself upwards until his left arm could support him. When he was sitting up straight, he blinked his bright blue optics and glanced around his surroundings. Much to his chagrin, there was nothing but forest behind him, to his left and right, and in front of him. He glanced up and saw nothing but trees that stretched taller than him. There was nothing he hated more than trees because of how they kept on getting in his way.

He grabbed his head to clear some of the dizziness that crept at the back of his processor, trying to recall what had happened. Then the next thing happened was the terrible pain that shot up through his abdomen and up his back. He grimaced as he grabbed his stomach, trying to rub the discomfort away before the pain came through again faster than before.

"Primus-damn it!" he hissed as the pain ceased for a moment.

He tried to push himself up onto his feet, but the discomfort was too much for him to handle. He glanced down and spotted a deep purple bruise forming on his abdomen that was bigger than he anticipated. Red Alert was going to put him offline or have a spark attack when he found out about this.

"So, you're awake," said a gruff voice from his left.

Hot Shot soon forgot about his discomfort and glanced around, but he saw no sign of the owner's voice. He then remembered the look of the stranger who had stood before him and hand punched him so hard in the stomach that he had fallen into a state of unconsciousness. He even remembered the look of hostility in the mech's optics but then nothing else. As far as he could tell, he knew that Jetfire would be on his way to find him... that is if he could find his energy signature.

"Don't even bother trying to move, kid," said the voice, "I have deactivated your emergency beacon and your equilibrium sensors. Now you cannot stand up or even call for help unless I can activate it."

Hot Shot emitted a deep growl. "Why would you do that to me when I haven't even met you? What did I do wrong to you?"

"Ah," said the voice, "you have everything to do with what I want. You see, rumour has it that you have a strong connection with Optimus Prime and I needed to capture you to get his attention. Obviously it worked because your flying friend tried to reach me before he contacted Prime."

"Why didn't you just go and find Optimus yourself instead of trying to capture me?"

"Where's the fun in that?" the voice asked coolly. "I find it more amusing to watch Prime squirm while I have one of his favourite Autobots in my grasp."

"Only a Decepticon would stoop so low just to get to Optimus!" Hot Shot spat.

"You dare to compare me to a Decepticon?" snapped the mech's voice. "There is nothing more in the universe than I despise a Decepticon! Call me that again and I will blast your head sky high!"

"Then if you're not a Decepticon, then who and what are you?" Hot Shot asked.

"You'll find out soon enough," answered the mech dryly.

"Well, then at least show me your face," Hot Shot protested.

He was met with nothing but silence. The young mech almost thought that the stranger who had kidnapped him would not grant him his request. Instead, he would probably think of him as nothing more but a tool that would play a huge role in his grand plan to possibly annihilate Optimus Prime. Was this what Optimus meant when those who knew about their strong bond would use it against them? Hot Shot felt himself trembling on the inside, but he could've sworn that his armour started to rattle with nervousness. What if this mech wouldn't let him go? What if he decided that he would kidnap him again and use him as a bargaining chip in the future?

"Very well," said the mech after a few minutes of silence. "Since this will probably be your last request, I might as well."

Hot Shot's optics widened in surprise as he heard a rustling in the bushes from his right and a blue and white mech stepped out from the wilderness. His entire body was covered in scars, as if he had been through many battles in the past. Much to his shock, his helmet reminded him of Optimus, only he did not have the mask to cover up his facial features. The mech had wings mounted on his shoulders and Hot Shot guessed that he was a seeker, but he quickly thought better of it when he saw the parts of a ground vehicle form. What surprised him even further was the golden optics that seemed to burn with an intense fire. And mounted in the middle of the mech's chest was the Autobot symbol, only it too had a scar like Wheeljack's had, but there was no Decepticon insignia mounted on his body.

"Now that you have seen me," said the mech as he whipped out a massive cannon and pointed it at Hot Shot's chest, "call him."

"What?" Hot Shot asked.

"Call Prime now," ordered the mech.

Hot Shot nodded grimly as the cannon tapped him on the chest.

* * *

Jetfire paced up and down impatiently in the canyon as he waited for Optimus Prime to get to his position. His wings twitched abruptly as he growled, grunted and gritted his dental plates together as he fought back the burning sensation that lingered at the back of his spark. The possibility of losing Hot Shot again was just too much for the vice commander to bear. Hot Shot felt more and more like a little brother to him and he did not want anything to happen to him. But the longer Optimus took, the more anxious the red and white shuttle mech grew.

Who would stoop so low to kidnap Hot Shot without a second thought? Knowing Optimus, the Autobot commander was bound to chuck a fit and then fritz right there on the spot and then faint. But the past six months had changed everything between Optimus and Hot Shot, and Jetfire was getting more and more concerned with the way things were going between the two. It saddened Jetfire greatly, but he knew that things would eventually be back to normal when this war was over and done with.

That is... if they could get Hot Shot back before something happened to him.

"Red Alert," Jetfire called into the com-link, holding back a string of curses, "how far away is Optimus from my location?"

"_Not far,"_ Red Alert replied. _"He's about ten kilometres from where you are. He should be there within five minutes."_

"But Hot Shot doesn't have five minutes!" Jetfire growled. "For all I know, that mech could be doing something to him I cannot even begin to picture."

"_Calm down, Jetfire,"_ reassured Red Alert, who was also starting to grow impatient. _"The only thing we can do for now is wait for Optimus to get to your coordinates. You know how Optimus cares about Hot Shot."_

"But you saw how distant the two have become," Jetfire said, shaking his head. "It's as if Optimus doesn't want to admit it that he cares so much for Hot Shot. I see it every day in Hot Shot's optics. He longs to get close to Optimus again, but the more he tries, the more Optimus wants to push him away. It's almost as if... he doesn't want to get a sense of... déjà vu."

"_I don't know, Jetfire,"_ Red Alert replied sombrely. _"The only thing we can do for now is just hope that things will go back to normal for all of us."_ Jetfire quickly sensed that Red Alert wanted to change the subject. _"You should be able to see Optimus now."_

Jetfire halted his pacing when his sensors picked up the approaching energy signatures of Optimus Prime, Scavenger, Sideswipe, Hoist, and Blurr. High above the five, Jetfire could also make out the sonic boom of Starscream. Starscream reached him first and transformed immediately before he gently touched down in front of Jetfire.

"Optimus told us that you reported to him that Hot Shot had been kidnapped," he said grimly.

"Yes," Jetfire replied, nodding as the dust cloud settled and the others transformed as well before approaching the vice commander.

"What happened, Jetfire?" Optimus asked, his optics squinting into a frown.

"I'll tell you what happened!" snapped Jetfire as he stomped up to his friend and jabbed a finger in his chest. "Hot Shot was kidnapped by some mech. I don't know who it was, but he looked almost exactly like you with that weird helmet. Only he was covered in scars, was blue and white, and could fly as well. If you had opened up to Hot Shot even more instead of hiding behind your walls, none of this would've happened to him! Either way, Optimus, no matter what you do, even if you didn't keep that bond you shared with him, he was going to wind up getting hurt or kidnapped anyway!"

"I did it for his own good," Optimus answered calmly, his facial expression unreadable. "If I had kept my distance from him, then maybe I could prevent Megatron from trying to capture him again and using our bond against us all."

"Well you failed, Optimus," Jetfire growled, thrusting his finger even harder. "If you hadn't been so distant to Hot Shot, then you not only failed as a leader, but you failed as a father... again!"

"Jetfire, that's enough!" Scavenger cried as he stood in between the two and shoved Jetfire back. "Arguing isn't going to solve anything. Now which way did the mech go when he took Hot Shot?"

Jetfire huffed as he muttered a horrible curse underneath his breath and turned his back on his friends for a moment, his wings twitching again as he fought back the tears of sadness that threatened to fall down his cheeks. When he managed to regain control of himself, he turned back to face them and sighed, but his optics still showed his disappointment in Optimus.

"They went north," he said, motioning in the direction he last saw them. "I went as far as I could go, but only ended up coming across a forest and could see nothing through them. It's too thick to look by air. We'll have to walk through it if we ought to find Hot Shot in this mess."

The others nodded their agreement, but Optimus stood as motionless as a rock, unmoving.

Seeing that he had mentally hurt his friend, Jetfire walked up to Optimus and gently took his hand his own, giving him a reassuring squeeze. "Listen, Optimus," he said softly, "I'm sorry I snapped at you. But when you put that barrier up between you and Hot Shot, you not only ended up hurting each other, but you ended up hurting everyone around you. I want the old Optimus back, the one who is not afraid to show that he cares about his friends and his emotions whenever he has to show it."

Optimus removed his hand from Jetfire's slowly, shaking his head with disapproval. "I can't do that, Jetfire," he said softly. "If I do that, then I'll only end up hurting Hot Shot even more. You saw what happened to me when I fought against Megatron. I became a monster, and I nearly killed Megatron because of that."

"But Optimus..."

"No, Jetfire," Optimus replied sadly. "I've made my decision. My word is final."

Jetfire looked at Scavenger, mentally praying that the old mech do something to make Optimus change his mind, but Scavenger just shook his head and made a quick motion with his hand, indicating that there was nothing he could do until Optimus himself believed that he was capable of controlling his very emotions without hurting anyone. Jetfire frowned, but nodded a little, saddened by this.

Suddenly, Optimus's com-link bleeped without warning. Everyone jumped out of their armour and turned to face Optimus, wondering who was calling him. Everyone one else, except Hot Shot, was here. Optimus frowned and answered the com-link, his finger lightly tapping the button on the right side of his helmet.

"Optimus Prime here."

"_Optimus!"_ Hot Shot's voice cried before sighing.

"Hot Shot?" Optimus asked, his golden optics blinking in surprise before they were overridden by a hidden relief. "What happened? Where are you? Are you alright?"

"_I'm fine, Optimus, other than a bruised stomach. The guy really winded me badly, but not too badly. But he's deactivated my emergency beacon and my equilibrium sensors. I can't move and I can't send for help unless he says so. As for where I am, I don't know. I'm in a clearing somewhere in a forest."_

Optimus's right hand clenched into a fist, his mask emitting a deep growl from behind. "Did the mech tell you who he is?" he asked.

"_No,"_ Hot Shot answered gravely. _"But he says he wants you to come and find me so that you and he can meet face to face. He even says that you may know him from somewhere a long time ago."_

Jetfire felt his armour bristle in anger as he thought of the strange mech holding Hot Shot at gunpoint while the red and yellow mech was calling Optimus. No one would dare to do that to Hot Shot while he was around! But... how did this mech know about Optimus's and Hot Shot's close friendship? Had the rumours really spread faster than ever?

"Alright, Hot Shot," said Optimus firmly, "we're on our way. In the meantime, try and stay safe."

"_I'll do that, Optimus. Hot Shot out."_

With the com-link down, Optimus stood taller and prouder than ever, determination flickering in his golden optics, and Jetfire could've sworn he caught a glimpse of the old Optimus for a brief moment. But it was gone within the blink of an eye.

"Autobots, transform and roll out! We've got a fellow Autobot to find."

* * *

Hot Shot rubbed his midsection out of discomfort, the pain growing worse with each passing second. Although he did not want to be a bother to the stranger, he was beginning to grow worried by the possibility that the incredible punch the mech had given him had somehow ruptured a sensitive part in his insides and he could bleed internally. No doubt Red Alert was going to have a spark attack if he found out about it being true.

Sighing, he carefully got himself comfortable by pushing his back against a thick tree that looked like it could support his weight and leaned back slightly, trying to take his processor off of the thoughts of a possible internal injury. Not that it could be true. If he was bleeding internally, then he would be coughing up energon for quite a long time and slowly bleed to death.

A short distance away, the stranger was fiddling with his cannon, using a cloth to clean some of the dirt off. Hot Shot wondered why the mech would do something like this to him just to get Optimus's attention. Just why couldn't he contact him personally instead of just going through all the trouble to capturing him and using him as bait? It doesn't make any sense at all!

The mech glanced up from his work and his golden optics formed a frown. "You don't look very well."

"I would be well if you hadn't punched me so hard," Hot Shot growled. "You could've saved yourself the effort and gone to find Optimus instead of capturing me. That is not how Autobots work you know."

The mech snorted and turned away for a moment, not answering Hot Shot at all before he stood up to his full height and approached him until he was standing in front of him, his golden optics cold. He then reached down and grabbed Hot Shot by the throat, lifting him up until his feet dangled only a few feet off the ground. Hot Shot gagged and his hands made an effort to claw at the mech's hands, trying to find the air that needed to get into his oxygen tanks and make him loosen his grip.

"Where's the fun in finding Optimus myself when I could just use someone as bait and use you against him?" he asked coldly. "I would've given you a choice if I wanted to, but I chose the easy way out for my own purposes. Now you are going to sit still and be quiet."

He then dropped Hot Shot back onto the ground and the young mech rubbed his throat painfully as he slid back down on his aft, his head spinning quite viciously. As the mech turned and walked away, Hot Shot's optics widened when he spotted a small figure perched behind his left wing. The mech seemed to sense his confusion and he turned and pointed to the red and yellow Mini-Con.

"This is what your friends were looking for?" he asked smugly.

Hot Shot just nodded.

"Found this little guy in the desert not too far from where I found you," the mech replied. "I named him Knock Out. I awakened him the moment I touched his panel."

"Good thing he didn't end up in the Decepticons' hands," said Hot Shot.

"Why would it be a good thing to you, kid?" the mech asked, frowning. "I care nothing for the war that has been raging between the Autobots and Decepticons for many millennia." He chewed his bottom lip and Hot Shot spotted a small trail of energon leaking from the corner of his mouth. "I would have cared if I had gotten what I wanted in the first place. Optimus should've known better than to take what had been rightfully mine by birthright!"

"Birthright?" Hot Shot asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"None of your business, kid!" snapped the mech as he whirled towards Hot Shot and slammed a punch into his face. Hot Shot cried out as the blow caused him to leak energon from his right optic and a corner of his mouth. He felt some gurgle in the bottom of his midsection and he threw up energon at the feet of the mech. If the stranger had any compassion in him, he didn't show it. "Never pry into my life-cycle unless you want to end up with a face full of fists!"

The young mech nodded abruptly and wiped some of the energon with the back of his forearm that was dripping slowly. He felt a processor-ache gripped his head and he held it uncomfortably, trying to rub it away. But the pain was starting to grow as he felt the discomforting feeling in his stomach and he finally came to a conclusion that he was bleeding internally. His nightmare had come true.

The mech suddenly came to an abrupt halt and glanced upwards, as if his sensors were picking up something Hot Shot could not detect. Seconds later, Hot Shot heard the familiar sound of a semi engine roaring in the distance towards his left. The mech grabbed his Mini-Con tightly and rushed off into the bushes, but Hot Shot could make out his shadowed figure amongst the trees and his golden optics glowing intensively.

He decided to ignore the mech and focused all his attention on the sound that had never been more relieved to hear the reassuring engine of his father-figure, leader, and friend. He sat up slowly as a small smile crept towards the corner of his lips, but not before he felt that rush of a liquid building up in his stomach and pushing its way to the only opening it knew: his mouth. He spat out the warm energon and squinted his optics in pain.

Within a matter of minutes, the massive semi-truck broke through the bushes and shifted to its massive bipedal form. Optimus towered over Hot Shot for a moment before he ran over to him and kneeled by his side, pulling him into a quick embrace and then feeling him all over. From behind him, Hot Shot could make out the blurry forms of the others as Jetfire, Starscream, Sideswipe, Scavenger, Hoist, and Blurr arrived on the scene.

When they saw the state he was in, Hot Shot knew that the look in his optics told him it was not good.

He was taken back into the world of the living when Optimus gently took a hold of his face and made him stare him directly in the optics. Hot Shot could see a glint of worry in those sunflower coloured optics and he felt the disgusting feeling in his stomach again and he vomited energon all over Optimus's nice clean armour.

"Sorry," Hot Shot gagged as he trembled all over and Optimus pulled him into another reassuring hug.

"It's alright, Hot Shot," Optimus said quietly. "You're safe now."

But Hot Shot shook his head as he swallowed a mouthful of energon.

"Who did this to you?" Jetfire asked worriedly as he kneeled beside Hot Shot's other side.

The young mech pointed to the bushes where the mech was hiding. Feeling his optics flickering offline, he soon slipped into a state of unconsciousness from energon loss.

Seeing this angered the Autobot commander and he whirled in the direction Hot Shot pointed. He half expected the mech to be a rouge Decepticon, but much to his surprise, it was none other than a mech from his past from long ago. He then uttered one word that sent chills down Jetfire's spinal column.

"Ultra Magnus!"


	3. A Brother's Treason

OMG! Has it been so long since I've upated this story too? People, I am so terribly sorry, but you can pin the blame on my muse for deciding that it needed a vacation and wanted to focus on other things. Again, I am terribly sorry for not updating. Here's hoping this chapter makes up for it. Don't worry, next update will take lesser time than usual. When I wrap my brain around my stupidity. *groans*

* * *

As the two Prime lookalikes stood face to face, the young Sideswipe tapped Jetfire on the shoulder and the sub-commander was forced to glance down at the foster brother of Hot Shot. Jetfire could see the question plaguing in the young mech's mind and he instantly guessed what he was going to ask before he was going to say it. To say the least, Jetfire was entirely surprised by the question at all when it came out Sideswipe's mouth.

"Who's Ultra Magnus?" he asked, his sky blue optics wide with wonder and curiosity.

"To be honest," Jetfire replied quietly so that only Sideswipe could hear, "I don't know. But I have heard rumours that he's one of the most dangerous of all Autobots. I've also heard that he left Cybertron the day Optimus became Prime and I was appointed the status of Vice Commander. No one knows why or what his purpose is, but I heard from Scavenger that he's someone you shouldn't tangle with. This is the first time I've seen him in person."

"He's dangerous?" Sideswipe asked. "How is he dangerous? If he was, he would've killed Hot Shot by now."

"Very true," remarked Scavenger as he stepped alongside Jetfire's right. "Whatever his intentions are with Optimus... it cannot be good. We'll just have to wait and see what he wants."

Sideswipe cautiously nodded and refocused his optics on the two Transformers that stood before them. However, there was one thing that had him curious: why did both Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus look almost exactly same, minus the colours, the mask, and the wings? But then his curiosity was diverted when he saw Hot Shot stirring in his own pool of energon. He quickly grabbed Jetfire's arm again and forced him to look in the direction of the injured Autobot.

Getting the message, Jetfire quickly rushed over to Hot Shot's side and gently helped him sit up. "Easy, Hot Shot. Easy does it," he said softly as he supported his head. The young mech groaned in agony, but Jetfire sensed that he was in a lot more pain than he thought. He activated his com-link to Red Alert. "Red Alert, are you there? We've got an emergency here! Autobot down! Repeat: Autobot down."

"_Loud and clear, Jetfire,"_ Red Alert answered, his tone as calm as ever. _"I'm putting in the coordinates in the space bridge. Standby."_

As Jetfire relayed the message to Red Alert, Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus stared at each other like a cobra and a mongoose poised to attack one another, like enemies almost as eternal as the viciousness between Optimus and Megatron. However, the blue and white winged Transformer stood tall and smirked, putting a confused look on the Prime's facial expression.

"So, I finally found you after all this time. I expected you to look the same, but obviously the locals have turned you into what they call an old coot. Though, I shouldn't call you that since we are not the same age." He snorted as he looked Optimus up and down with disdain and then back into his optics. "It's a shame that you were chosen..."

"Chosen?" Sideswipe repeated to Scavenger. "What did he mean by 'chosen'?"

Scavenger hushed him by putting a finger to his lips as Ultra Magnus went on.

"What are you here for, Magnus?" Optimus demanded. "If it's for your own selfish purposes, then I don't want to deal with you anymore than I have to deal with Megatron. You and I both know what is at stake, and all you're doing is thinking about your own needs? You call yourself an Autobot and the son of Sentinel Prime!"

"Father and uncle were the ones who chose you,_ brother_, not I!" Ultra Magnus bellowed angrily, his voice spitting with venom and hatred. "That should've been mine by birthright! But instead, it chose you over me instead of going with tradition. The sight of you disgusts me to the core of my spark. How could you take it from me when it should've been in my hands! You betrayed me, Prime, and that betrayal has cost you dearly!"

The blue and white mech smirked at the sight of the flinch in the red and blue mech's body. His golden optics diverted from Optimus to the shocked Autobots. There were looks of pure horror on their facial features as Ultra Magnus delivered the news, minus Scavenger.

"So, your Autobots weren't informed of the truth were they?" he chuckled darkly. "Well, no matter. They'll know soon enough of your crimes against me, Prime."

"What crimes?" Sideswipe asked just as the space bridge opened up behind the Autobots.

"There will be time for explanations later, Sideswipe," Scavenger informed the young mech. "But right now we have to get Hot Shot back to base and get Red Alert to repair him. I don't like the way he's coughing up energon all over Jetfire."

It was true what Scavenger said. Despite being unconscious, Hot Shot was spitting energon all over Jetfire's armour, but the red and white mech didn't seem bothered. The only important thing now was to get Hot Shot back to base as soon as possible. Carefully, Jetfire picked up Hot Shot in his arms and began to carry him towards the space bridge. Scavenger and the others following close behind, but neither Optimus nor Ultra Magnus made a movement at all.

Starscream turned back to face Optimus. "Aren't you coming?"

"No," Optimus said firmly.

"Why?" Sideswipe asked as he turned back to face his commander. "We've got Hot Shot back."

"Go," Optimus ordered. "I have to do what I have to do."

"And what would be what?" Starscream asked, raising an optic ridge. "By killing your only relative?"

But Optimus said no more and it soon came down to the fact that the commander wasn't going to back down, especially when Ultra Magnus was staring him down with a deep hatred that burned only for Optimus. Seeing that there was no way they could convince their leader to come back with them, both Starscream and Sideswipe headed into the space bridge without him. Once it had closed behind him, Optimus's optics squinted into a deadly look.

* * *

"Well, well," said Megatron to himself as he looked down upon the sight that was before him. He had been watching the entire scene and had heard what Ultra Magnus had said about Optimus Prime taking what he believed was rightfully his. "It seems that we may have a new opportunity."

The other Decepticons fumbled around behind him, overlooking what their leader was seeing. The discovery of this seemed to present whatever was lurking at the back of Megatron's processor. Wheeljack noted this with amusement as he watched Optimus and Ultra Magnus prepare to square off against each other.

"Lord Megatron," said Demolisher, "exactly who is this Ultra Magnus guy? He doesn't look so tough."

"Oh, my dear Demolisher," smirked Megatron, "there is a lot more to Ultra Magnus than meets the optic. Don't let his appearance fool you."

"Have you encountered him before, Sir?" Wheeljack asked, puzzled.

"Indeed I have," said Megatron. "We tangled once in the past. On the day I murdered Sentinel Prime, Ultra Magnus appeared before me and tried to take me down in revenge. Oh it was a glorious battle. Neither one of us wanted to give in, but I finally brought him down to his knees. I would have put him out of his misery if it were not for Optimus' interference. I haven't seen Ultra Magnus in a long time. Until now that is."

"So what's he doing here now after all these orns?" Thrust asked. "Has he got some sort of grudge with Optimus?"

"Much more than that, Thrust," confirmed Megatron, smirking. "Much more."

Wheeljack blinked and continued to watch the fight, uncertainty in his optics.

* * *

The moment the Autobots walked through the space bridge with Jetfire carrying the still spewing Hot Shot, Red Alert was onto them immediately. He ordered Jetfire to follow him to the Med Bay as quickly as possible while the others stayed behind. There was nothing they could do on their part. The moment Red Alert and Jetfire reached the Med Bay, Red Alert told Jetfire to set Hot Shot onto the medical berth as he went to go and get the right tools he needed to operate on Hot Shot's internal injuries.

"Frag it!" Red Alert cursed as he searched frantically for one of his tools. "Where is that buzz saw?"

Jetfire looked worriedly from Hot Shot to Red Alert, whose back was turned to him. "Anything I can do to help you, Red?" he asked. "You could use all the help you can get."

"Your help is not needed right here, Jetfire," said Red Alert once he had found what he was looking for. He turned back to Jetfire and rushed to Hot Shot's side, placing the buzz saw on the table. "I want to go back and reassure the others. They need you more than you are needed here. I can handle this."

"What are you going to do?" Jetfire asked.

"I've got to operate on Hot Shot and fix his internal bleeding," explained Red Alert.

And just as he was about to pick up a needle to ease the young mech's pain, Hot Shot turned and threw up energon all over the CMO and Jetfire. Red Alert looked amused for a moment while Jetfire just stared and shook his head. Red Alert then shoved Jetfire out of the Med Bay and it closed automatically behind him.

"Typical Red Alert," Jetfire laughed to himself before he realised that Hot Shot's condition was bad. He'd have to go and tell the others what Hot Shot's status was. Trembling, he turned and headed back to the command centre where they were all waiting for him.

"Is Hot Shot going to be ok?" Sideswipe asked, tears filling his optics as he was being coddled by Hoist. "Please tell me that he'll be ok."

Jetfire bowed his head sadly, not knowing how to answer the innocent mech's question.

"All we can do is wait," Scavenger said knowingly, arms folded across his chest and leaning against the wall in the far corner along with Blurr. "For now, I believe there is something you should know about who that mech was that had kidnapped Hot Shot."

"Who exactly is he?" Hoist questioned.

"His name is Ultra Magnus," explained Scavenger. "He's Optimus Prime's older brother."

"Older brother?" Blurr frowned. "Optimus never told us he had a sibling. What the slag is going on?"

"It's a long story," sighed Scavenger.

"We've got all the time in the world," Jetfire growled. "Hot Shot's practically being operated on and Optimus is fighting against his own metal and energon! Give us the scoop already and don't leave any details out."

"Very well," said Scavenger. "It started a long time ago, shortly after Optimus became Prime..."

* * *

The two lookalike mechs stared each other down, one with fiery hate and the other with determination. None of them moved for even a moment, and not even the wind blew nor did an animal stir or a bird sing. It was as if the entire planet was holding its breath. Optimus' sunflower optics were in a tight squint as he glared at Ultra Magnus with his usual death glare. Ultra Magnus glared right back.

"So, you wished to fight with me, _brother_?" Ultra Magnus asked, breaking the silence. "Knowing you after all these orns, you'd hardly lay a finger on me and permanently offline me. You have no chance against me, Prime, because you know that I'm stronger than you!"

Optimus bowed his head, his helmet overshadowing his optics. "I never wanted to fight you, Magnus," he whispered. "Not like this..." Then he lifted his head and rage burned in his optics. "But to see you hurt Hot Shot like that... I can never forgive you! Your cruel actions sicken me to the core of my spark! You have no right to even wear that symbol."

"Don't call me that name!" Ultra Magnus spat. "You no longer have the right to even call me that!"

"I don't see the need to call you my sibling anymore," Optimus snarled venomously. "I will do what I must in order to protect Hot Shot and my Autobots from you."

"Then shut up and fight!" Ultra Magnus snapped back.

And before Optimus could even come up with a witty comeback, Ultra Magnus ignited his thrusters and flew towards his sibling, his fists coming together in a massive formation as they pulsed with energy in one of his attempting signature finishing moves. Optimus instantly saw it coming and leapt aside easily. He back flipped once and landed with a dull thud in the dirt, bringing up dust in his wake. Magnus shot past him harmlessly, shocked that Optimus had avoided him so quickly. No one escaped his finishing moves and lived to tell the tale. He skidded to a halt and he whirled towards Optimus, yelling as he transformed his right arm into a sword, surprising his younger sibling.

_That's a new_, Optimus thought. He knew that he had to act fast before his brother took advantage of the situation. He charged forward, fists and golden optics glowing furiously. Magnus' optics widened in shock when he saw this, but he attempted to avoid the flurry of incoming punches, however many of them missed, but only one of them managed to clip him on the bottom lip, forcing him to spit energon from his mouth and he took a few steps backwards, wiping the liquid away.

"You've gotten stronger since I last saw you," Ultra Magnus smirked, spitting to the side as energon dripped from the corner of his lips. "But don't let that get to your head!" The sword came upwards and slashed Optimus across the face mask, but it merely grazed his face and he was secretly glad that his mask protected him from a serious injury. But then he realised too soon as Ultra Magnus pulled out another sword and stabbed it into Optimus' right thigh, causing energon to splat across the ground and meld with Hot Shot's.

Optimus gasped in shock as he collapsed on his knees and Ultra Magnus pulled the sword from out of his injury, earning a bloodcurdling scream from Optimus' mouth that satisfied his audio receptors. He backhanded Optimus with the blunt edge of his sword, forcing his brother onto the ground and face first in the dirt in his own pool of energon.

"Magnus," Optimus whispered, "why are you doing this?"

Ultra Magnus snarled at his pitiful words. It disgusted him so much that Optimus would practically ask him even though he knew what the answer was. If he didn't have something that once belonged to him, and that they were siblings til the end of time, he was nothing more than an object that should be removed once and for all so that he could take back what rightfully belonged to him.

"Because, dear brother," the blue and white mech growled, "you have something that belongs to me. I will do anything in my power to take it back... even if I have to kill my own energon and metal. What you took from me was meant to be mine before you were even born." His lips pulled back into a snarl. "If you hadn't come into our family's life, then I would've been Prime and then the Great War would be over. Everyone still suffers because of you!"

He raised sword above his head, preparing to make the final blow.

But Optimus wasn't going to go down lying down. With golden optics flaring in rage, he pulled out his Ion Blaster and shot Ultra Magnus at close range in the chest, sending his brother hurtling backwards and crashing into a pile of trees some distance away. It wasn't his intention to kill him. Though they were now bitter enemies all because of the passing of the Matrix he still loved him. They were siblings until the very end.

Staggering back onto his feet, Optimus leaned on his Ion Blaster for support and glanced in the direction of his fallen brother. His breathing had become laboured and he could feel his recharge systems begging to come online, but he pushed them aside, telling them to kiss his aft. He had to call the base to let them know that he needed a space bridge.

"_Optimus Prime, Sir! Come in, Optimus Prime!"_

Optimus blinked his optics in surprise when he heard Jetfire's concerned voice calling him on the com-link. "Jetfire, is that you?" he asked. "How is Hot Shot doing? Is he alright?"

"_Yeah, Optimus, it's me,"_ Jetfire answered. _"Hot Shot's gone under the knife at the moment. Red Alert said his condition was pretty serious. However, don't worry about that now. The computer just detected the Decepticons heading in your direction. They must've heard the commotion you and Magnus were making. Are you in a good condition to fight them or should I bring up the space bridge to your coordinates?"_

"Ultra Magnus has me beaten up pretty badly, Jetfire," Optimus replied casually. "I don't think I can deal with the Decepticons in this condition. Do you think you can bring the space bridge up?"

"_That shouldn't be a problem, Optimus,"_ Jetfire said. _"I'm bringing it up now. Jetfire out."_

Optimus just nodded his response, even though he knew Jetfire couldn't see it. He just had to reassure himself that his vice commander was working fast in bringing up the space bridge. However, from the sounds of things from in front of him, there wasn't much time. Even though Ultra Magnus was an Autobot, he couldn't let him find their base just yet.

"PRIME!" Ultra Magnus' voice screamed in the distance as the trees exploded to reveal his damaged appearance. The blue and white mech was covered in slight dents and scratches, and energon dripped from a few openings in his armour, but that wasn't Optimus' concern.

"Now would be a good time to move your aft, Jetfire," Optimus groaned as he found himself falling to one knee due to his injured thigh.

"_Give me a break, Optimus,"_ Jetfire said in an annoyed tone. _"It's not my fault Red Alert designed this thing so differently from ours back on Cybertron. Give me a few more astroseconds."_

"I don't have a few astroseconds, Jetfire!" Optimus growled.

In a furious rage, Ultra Magnus began to glow with energy, his optics burning intensively as his dental plates bore with rage. He threw his fists in an upward manner, the swirling energy gathering into his trembling hands as he brought them together into a single fist, lightning seemed to crackle all around the forest as he powered up the thrusters in his wings and pedes.

_Frag it, _Optimus mentally cursed. There wasn't enough time for him to dodge this attack while Jetfire called for the space bridge.

Screaming, Ultra Magnus shot forward at a blinding speed, this thrusters roaring and thundering along with his fury.

Optimus attempted to brace himself, knowing what this move was capable with. One false move and he was as good as dead. With optics narrowing, he brought his fists together, gathering up his own energy and thrust them forward, throwing it towards his brother. But the energy surrounding Ultra Magnus caused Optimus' to bounce off his armour like as if it was nothing and he kept on coming.

There was nothing Optimus could do except hope that Jetfire was quick enough.

His brother drew even closer, closing the gap between them at an enormous rate.

Optimus braced himself, but found himself closing his optics.

Suddenly, Ultra Magnus gave a scream of pain and found himself being thrown off course of his target. Optimus opened his optics and saw his brother lying in a smoking, crumpled heap. Concerned, he shouted his brother's name and rushed towards him, attempting to get to his side as fast as he could to check to make sure he was unhurt.

But a blast prevented him from taking a single step and he glanced up in shock, his optics widening when he saw who stopped him from approaching his hurt brother. "Megatron!" he cried.


	4. Fires of the Past

My apologies to the people who have been dying to see the next chapter, apparently my muse had been out of control and was so determined to do "Birth". But now that I'm taking a break from it, I thought why not give you something to look forward to until I get around to chapter 26. However, I have to give another apology because this one is kind of... short. *sigh*

* * *

If Ultra Magnus wasn't enough to piss off Optimus, then it was most definitely an encounter with Megatron and his Decepticons. The Autobot Commander felt a wave of fury bubbling in the pit of his waste tanks, his hands balling into fists as he continued to glare up at the bunch of Decepticons that were laughing at the pitiful squabble between the siblings. Optimus snuck a glance at the hurt Magnus, who was groaning in pain after Megatron had shot him in the back and was trying to get back on his feet.

"_Optimus, what's going on?"_ Jetfire cried. _"Damn it, I'm bringing the space bridge up now!"_

"Cancel that order, Jetfire!" Optimus snapped.

"_W-why?"_ his vice commander asked, his tone filled with worry for his friend.

"We've got company, and bringing the space bridge will give them the opportunity they need to get in our base and steal the Mini-Cons. Now do as I say and cancel that order."

"_Alright, Optimus, we're cancelling the order. Stay safe and hope for the best that Magnus doesn't end up killing you in the end."_

Shaking his head, Optimus turned back to his fallen brother. "Magnus, are you alright?" he asked with concern.

At first Magnus didn't respond to the Prime's question for a few moments, and Optimus feared the worst. But he soon breathed a sigh of relief when the blue and white answered in a cold tone, "I'll be fine once I'm done finishing the one who had the nerve to shot me in the back."

Someone seemed to shuffle nervously at the tone Magnus used, and a chuckle escaped from Optimus' mouth from behind his mask. It had been too long since he had a good laugh. But soon his amusement soon faded as his brother picked himself up off the dirt, marched up alongside him, and his golden optics glared furiously up at the Decepticons. It seemed like they had crossed a line with him, and they were going to suffer dearly for interfering with the fight.

"So, Prime," Megatron spoke up as he looked down upon his arch-nemesis, "you're still squabbling with your brother after what you did to him? It's amusing to see you get beaten up like the dog that you are." He glared down at Magnus and made a beckoning motion with his hand. "Hand over that Mini-Con, Ultra Magnus, and I'll let you get back to your fight with Prime."

Magnus' hand formed into a fist and he pointed a finger at Megatron accusingly. "You interfered with our fight, Megatron, and that makes you a coward! I found this Mini-Con first and it's staying with me! You want it, just try and pry it from me! I fraggin' dare you!"

Megatron bared his teeth in anger when the blue and white mech spoke defiantly to him. No one dared to speak to him like that and lived to tell the tale.

Sensing his brother's need to protect his Mini-Con, Optimus placed a hand on Ultra Magnus' shoulder, forcing him to turn and look him dead in the eye. "Brother, we may be enemies because of what happened in the past, but I suggest a truce between us to defeat the Decepticons and protect your Mini-Con partner."

For a moment, Magnus said nothing in response to Optimus' suggestion, and Optimus thought he may have pushed his luck too far in an attempt to get his brother to see reason. The fiery look in the mech's optics seemed to pierce through his spark, as though Magnus was quarrelling with his inner self on whether or not they should work together to keep the Decepticons at bay and protect the Mini-Con he had in his possession.

Then, as if something won deep inside his subconscious, Magnus nodded. "Fine, but on one condition: once we're through beating Megatron and his goons into the ground, then our truce is at an end. Got it?"

"I understand, Magnus," Optimus answered, a smile forming beneath his mask.

"And don't call me that," Magnus growled, jabbing a finger in his brother's chest. "I am Ultra Magnus and that is what I am known as now. If you even think about calling me your brother or by my old name, I will kill you and take the Matrix for myself. End of discussion."

Optimus said nothing in response to Magnus' threat. Despite their differences and the looming hate deep inside, Magnus was still his brother and he always will be. Instead, he glanced away from Magnus and stepped towards the Decepticons, who continued to shuffle nervously at the determination that burned furiously in the Autobot Commander's optics.

"Looks like your men are afraid, Megatron. If you want the Mini-Con so badly," Optimus said mockingly, "then you'll have to come and get it yourself."

Megatron glanced back at his nervous looking men and he growled in annoyance. Not even the bold Wheeljack seemed confident enough to want to battle against two of the most powerful Autobot warriors to have ever existed. Megatron shifted his ruby red optics back to the duo, glaring icy cold daggers at them. Then, in his anger, he combined with Tidal Wave in a swift flurry of movement, and landed before the brothers.

"You wished for me to fight you myself in order to get the Mini-Con?" Megatron asked, grinning darkly. "Very well, I'll bite."

Both brothers took their fighting stance as they faced the Decepticon General, their optics never moving off from their single target. Then, Megatron let off a roar and he flew towards them at blinding speed. In response, Optimus and Magnus charged towards Megatron side by side, and their fists collided with Megatron's own, causing an explosion and for everything to fade to white.

* * *

"And that is the whole story," Scavenger finished.

During Scavenger's story, not one of the Autobots had faltered nor moved as they paid close attention. When Scavenger had finished, they all looked at one another in shock. Never had they heard such a sad and tragic story. Thanks to a prophecy that the Autobot Council of Elders spoken of, Magnus' jealousy grew from not getting what he had been preparing for his whole life before Optimus came into the picture, and the brothers had drifted apart from each other.

When the Matrix was finally passed down to Optimus after the death of their father, it had been the last straw for the older sibling. He lashed out at Optimus and had vanished off the face of Cybertron, never to be seen nor heard from again.

Until now that is.

"So Ultra Magnus is back and wants revenge for what Optimus took from him?" Starscream asked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Scavenger answered, still keeping his arms folded across his chest and leaning against the wall. He hadn't moved nor budged from his position as the Autobots muttered underneath their breaths and tried to theorize what was going on. It wasn't until the arrival of Red Alert that they were forced to put aside their worries and focus on the condition of their yellow friend.

"Is Hot Shot going to be ok?" Sideswipe asked, wiping away some of the tears from his cheeks.

Red Alert glanced in between each of the mechs that occupied the room. Jetfire had joined them after he had received orders from Optimus to cancel his order for a space bridge. The blue and silver mech sighed and then a smile formed on his lips. "Hot Shot's going to be fine," he said. "You can all breathe now."

Everyone released a sigh of relief at the news. Even Starscream was relieved to know that the young mech was going to be fine.

"Can we see him, Red?" Hoist asked anxiously as he rubbed Sideswipe's back to give him a form of comfort

The CMO shook his head. "He needs to rest without being disturbed. If we wake him after having his surgery, then he will end up reopening his wounds. I don't want to risk that. Tomorrow, you can visit him."

At least they knew that their friend hadn't gotten any serious damage. Now that that was dealt with, the others turned their gaze over to Jetfire, who had remained silent since the news of Hot Shot's condition had been given out.

"Jetfire, what's the situation with Optimus Prime?" Red Alert asked sternly.

Jetfire bowed his head, refusing to answer the question. Worried whispers was exchanged between the Autobots until the vice commander answered so quietly that they had to ask him to speak a little louder. "Optimus was fighting Ultra Magnus when he reported that Megatron had appeared. From the looks of Laserbeak's sightings, Optimus looks like he's in really bad condition. Can't say the same for Magnus though, and they don't look like they're capable of fighting against Megatron and his Decepticons on their own."

"Shouldn't we help them?" Sideswipe asked, wide eyed.

The vice commander shook his head. "Optimus gave me strict orders to not interfere."

"Frag those orders!" Hoist growled. "He's our commander, and we have to help him whether he likes it or not!"

"In case you haven't noticed, Hoist," Blurr finally spoke up, "we don't stand a chance against Ultra Magnus and the Decepticons. However, we should trust our Prime's judgement. He's probably got something up his sleeve that even we don't know about."

Hoist tried to say something else, but Scavenger shook his head, silencing him with a stern look.

"Trust in Optimus as he has put his trust in us," Jetfire answered.

* * *

As the dust and smoke settled and cleared, all three mechs were lying on their backs a short distance from each other, almost in a perfect triangle position. The Decepticons watched, dumbstruck by the sudden display in power they possessed. It was amazing that those three mechs could be so strong, perhaps stronger than the legendary Unicron itself.

"Who's up for a bet?" Cyclonus giggled.

"A thousand credits says that neither will win," declared Demolisher.

"Well, I say five thousand credits that Megatron will win," put in Thrust.

"You're all idiots..." Wheeljack sighed and he turned his body away from the fight, averting his gaze as he listened to the annoyed groans of the other Decepticons, but he curiously kept his optics focused on the three powerful warriors.

Optimus Prime got back on his feet slowly, and he staggered over to his brother's side, who was not looking good after their fight awhile ago. "Magnus, are you alright?" he asked gingerly.

Magnus' optics were offline, but as soon as Optimus touched his shoulder with a hand, they soon flickered back online, shimmering a bright gold colour. Optimus carefully helped his brother back onto his feet, but the blue and white mech shoved the other aside, earning a sigh. Once Magnus was back on his feet, he glanced down at his armour.

Optimus could see several trails of energon from his body and a barely noticeable one on the corner of his mouth. A few cracks and dents coated his entire chassis and it made Optimus to want to reach over and do something to ease Magnus' discomfort, but he held himself back, knowing how much his brother despised being helped.

"You look like scrap," Optimus complimented.

Magnus looked up and glared his brother in the optic, forcing Optimus to look away. He eventually returned his optics to Megatron, who too was picking himself up after the sudden explosion. As soon as the Decepticon leader was back on his feet, Optimus noticed just how much damage they had dealt to him. Just like the both of them, Megatron was covered in dings, dents, and scrapes. Energon even leaked from some of them, but that didn't seem to bother him at all. It would seem that his anger was blocking him to the pain.

"You'll pay for this humiliation!" Megatron snarled. "Leader-1, come to me!"

In a few seconds, Megatron's Mini-Con partner combined with him, increasing the power of his cannon, and he fired an enormous ball of purple energy that flew towards a still pained Optimus Prime.

"Prime, look out!" Magnus cried as he tackled Optimus to the ground, barely avoiding the incoming blast. The Autobot commander landed with a sudden thud in the dirt, kicking up dust in their wake. It took a few seconds for Optimus to register what had happened as he glanced on over at Magnus, who had himself pinned on top of him and he could see smoke escaping from his back, indicating that he had been burned by the ball of energy.

"Magnus, talk to me!" Optimus ordered as he tried to shake his brother awake, but there was no response. "Magnus, please respond!"

When his attempt to wake his fallen brother proved impossible, Optimus assumed the worst. He shifted uneasily as he tried to get Magnus off of him and get back into the fight. He was already weak from the loss of energon and the damage he had sustained from his battle with Magnus. Primus, how did he get in such a mess?

Megatron's laughter caught his attention and he was forced to look up and see what was so funny. He said nothing as Megatron's laughter ceased to nothing but an amused chortle. "Well, Prime, it seems your brother is out cold and unable to continue the fight."

He walked towards the two and stopped right in front of Optimus. He then aimed his power-increased cannon at the Autobot leader's head, a smirk crossing his lips. "But I think that is enough fun for one day, don't you think?" His smirk turned to a deep frown. "Say goodbye, Prime!"

He was about to fire his cannon when a flash of blue and white sent him flying backwards. Optimus didn't have a chance to figure out what had happened as he was hit in the head by Megatron's cannon, knocking him to the ground. He couldn't move nor could he flinch as he watched Magnus pound Megatron into a pulp.

"No one kills Prime except me!" Magnus bellowed as he threw in another punch. "If anyone is going to take the Matrix from him, it's not going to be you!"

Eventually the fight moved out of Optimus' line of sight and a cry of agony escaped from Megatron's vocal processor, echoing across the forest and sending birds flying into the sky. Finally, silence. He heard pounding feet as the other Decepticons rushed to their leader's side, and soon enough a familiar pair of pedes stopped in front of him. His vision shifted and he found himself looking into the barrel of Magnus' cannon, but it wasn't charging.

Optimus sighed, "If you're going to kill me, Magnus, just know that I'm sorry I took what you believed was yours. I'm sorry, brother."

To his shock, Magnus returned his barrel into his backpack and offered his hand out to Optimus. Optimus hesitated when he saw the outstretched hand, but then he slowly took it. Magnus helped him to stand up on his feet and he found himself leaning on his brother for support.

"What did you do to Megatron?" Optimus asked, looking around for his injured nemesis.

"I gave him a beating he rightfully deserved," Magnus answered, winking an optic. "Don't worry; he'll live through his injuries. I just made sure that he doesn't cross my path again."

Optimus glanced over in the direction Megatron had fallen and he saw the Decepticons vanishing back to their base.

He looked over to Magnus, uncertainty filling his optics. "What happens now?" he asked. "Do you still want to kill me?"

"We won the fight, Prime," Magnus said, his golden optics staring into the sunflower ones of his brother. "That's all that matters. Though you prevented my Mini-Con from falling into the hands of those glitches, that still doesn't mean I forgive you. Now that the truce is over between us, we are back to being mortal enemies. But we will fight another day on different grounds. For the next time we meet, we will continue our battle for the Matrix, and someday I will be the victor."

And Optimus watched sadly as Magnus released him from his hold and started up his thrusters, flying up into the sky and heading towards the East. He would never be seen again until the next time that they met, leaving the Prime alone once again.

Sighing, he switched on his com-link and spoke in his casual tone in an attempt hide his pain from his warriors, "Jetfire, bring up the space bridge. I've had enough of this forest to last a thousand lifetimes..."

"_Gotcha, Sir,"_ Jetfire answered with relief. _"I'm bringing up the space bridge."_

As the colourful lights of the space bridge announced its arrival, Optimus continued to stare up in the sky where Magnus had vanished, sadness creeping into his empty spark. Where did he go so wrong with his life?

"_You do have one Pit of a story to tell once you get back,"_ Jetfire added. _"And just so you know, Hot Shot made it through the surgery."_

"Thanks for letting me know of Hot Shot's condition, Jetfire," Optimus said. "I'll come and see him once I get back."

He wished he could change history to make things right again between him and Magnus, but alas, he had been chosen by the Matrix and not his brother. It saddened him, but he did what he had to do.

He turned and limped into the waiting space bridge, and it closed up behind him.


	5. Come Undone

Ack! I thought I would never get this updated! Damn it all to the pit! I must have put myself through hell in writing this. This one has been a work in progress for months! And damn me for putting Hot Shot through hell again. Just like Rodimus, Shotty is another one of my favourite victims to pick on. Bwahahaha!

* * *

Optimus limped painfully through the space bridge. His dental plates gritted against each other as he staggered on wobbly legs, and it was not a very pleasant experience for him. He had received much worse injuries than this in the past, and these ones were nothing compared to once having a limb blown off. No, he would rather not think about it at all as he had much more important things to worry about.

As the space bridge closed behind him, he fell upon his hands and knees just as the Autobots came running into the room. His vision began to blur as energon spilled onto the floor from the gaping wounds on his body. He bowed his head – his optics casting onto the ground – as he felt several pairs of hands slowly pick him back up. From his view, he could make out the blurred figures of his Autobots. None stood out more than Jetfire and Scavenger.

"Optimus, are you alright?" Jetfire cried as he drew a little closer to his Prime. "Primus, what happened to you? You look like a mess!" He held out several digits in front of his face. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Four," Optimus countered as he fell forwards slightly.

"Frag it, he's worse than I thought," Red Alert's voice broke through. "Let's get him to the medical bay so that I can fix him up. Hoist, Jetfire, you're the strongest of us, see if you can _carefully_ pick him up. Be mindful of his injuries, though. I don't want to cause him any more pain than he already is."

He turned to Optimus.

"Optimus, I need you to listen to me very carefully," he told the Autobot commander sternly, "you're going to be sore of an Earth week, and so I advise you that you don't be your stubborn self. I'm going to give you a sedative. Do not fight it, as you will be in a lot of pain when Jetfire and Hoist pick you up. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Optimus took a deep breath and tried to reply, but he only ended up groaning in pain, thus giving Red Alert the answer he needed. The next thing he knew, he felt a very thin and very sharp object inject itself into the right side of his neck. His head lolled to one side as he drifted off into a drugged recharge.

Satisfied that Optimus didn't fight the drug, Red Alert motioned to Hoist and Jetfire to carefully pick him up – with Jetfire taking Optimus' upper body and Hoist taking his waist and legs – and carry him to the medical bay where Hot Shot was already wide awake and waiting.

Starscream watched from a distance as Hoist and Jetfire made their way to the room with Red Alert in the lead. He had his arms folded across his chest and his orange optics watched stoically for a moment longer before he forced himself to head back to his quarters and clean his sword.

The walk to the medical bay felt like it was taking years to get there, but it took less time than they originally thought as they walked through the sliding door and gently lay Optimus upon the medical berth. Hot Shot sat on another on the right, and he was shocked when he saw Optimus' condition. He thought the Autobot commander would pull through the fight between himself and Ultra Magnus, but it seemed not.

"What happened to him, Red?" the young mech asked worriedly.

"Megatron interfered with their fight," Jetfire explained as he laid Optimus' arms against his sides. "Optimus and Magnus were forced to fight side by side in order to send Megatron packing. From what we were able to see from Laserbeak's optical sensors, they looked like they were in pretty bad shape to continue their own fight and Magnus was forced into a retreat."

Hot Shot felt concerned for Optimus, and he wanted nothing more than to talk to him. But since Red Alert had to work on him, he would have to be quiet and not say a word. Jetfire and Hoist were ordered out by the blue and silver mech and Hot Shot watched as he worked for the next several hours.

It was during that time that Hot Shot noticed Optimus was coming in and out of his sedative recharge, his golden optics focusing on him for a moment before he ended up blacking out again. Hot Shot wondered if he was feeling any pain from where Red Alert was working on. He saw that the CMO was repairing Optimus' busted limbs, and Hot Shot was beginning to feel a little tired from being awake for so long.

"Get some rest, Hot Shot," Red Alert insisted. "Optimus will be just fine in the morning."

Hot Shot sighed, "I know, but I guess I'm just feeling a little bit worried about him. I want to be awake to see him get up from his surgery."

"Hot Shot, I give you my word that I will let you know if Optimus wakes up," Red Alert said "Now rest."

For once, Hot Shot decided it was best to not argue with Red Alert any further. He nodded reluctantly and turned on his side, facing Optimus. The young mech felt certain that the Autobot commander was not going to be in the best of moods when he woke up, however, he wanted to discuss something with him when he came around. He just hoped he was willing to listen to him this time.

Somehow, Optimus had barely even talked to him over the past six months, and this concerned him greatly. Hot Shot wanted nothing more than to speak with Optimus more properly, but he had been avoiding him like the plague, as though he had done something wrong. The young mech knew that it was all due to the fact that Optimus had decided to end their father/son relationship because he didn't want Hot Shot to get hurt like last time.

It had nearly been the end for Hot Shot's allegiance with the Autobots if Optimus and Starscream hadn't rescued him in time. Who knows what would have happened to him?

Hot Shot hadn't realised he had drifted into recharge because he had switched off his optics for only what he believed was a short amount of time before he felt someone shaking him gently on the shoulder. He brightened his optics and saw Optimus was sitting up on his medical berth and facing him.

"Optimus, you're awake!" Hot Shot cried gleefully.

"Yes, Hot Shot," Optimus chuckled lightly, "I am."

Primus, it was so good to hear Optimus laugh again. Hot Shot had completely forgotten what his deep baritone laughter sounded like up until now. And when he was reminded of that laughter, it put a smile back on his face. He sat up and leaned forward to embrace Optimus, but a hand stopped him from coming anywhere near him.

"S-sorry, Sir," Hot Shot sighed regretfully. "I was just happy to see that you are going to be okay."

Optimus' face lifted slightly as though he was smiling, and he gently placed a hand upon Hot Shot's shoulder, giving it a warm squeeze. "I know, Hot Shot, and I'm eternally grateful for your concern about my wellbeing."

He took a deep breath.

"But, I cannot let you be anywhere near me after what had happened in the past six months ago. This relationship between us will only cause everyone else harm and endanger their lives. Please, Hot Shot. I'm not doing this just to be selfish, I'm doing this because I care too much about you just to let you get captured like that again."

Hot Shot frowned and looked away from Optimus, an overwhelming sense of rejection and anger boiled in the pit of his consuming tanks. He wasn't sure whether to think he was pissed at Optimus or at himself. But he supposed it could be the former. He looked back at Optimus and he wasn't surprised to see him flinch at the sudden anger that flashed from his baby blue optics.

"So that's just it, huh?" he demanded coldly, his glare becoming icy daggers. "You don't want us to be a family just because of not wanting me to become a target of Megatron again? Well, you're wrong, Optimus! I've already become a target because he already knows that we share a special bond between each other. Or maybe there's something you're not telling me. Am I right?"

Optimus remained silent and he turned his head away. When he answered again, his tone had lowered to a point where it made even the brave Hot Shot flinch. "Hot Shot, I am aware of the fact that Megatron may try to capture you again in the distant future. But that isn't the point. The point is, if I let you get too close to me and I lose control over my emotions, then I unleash the monster that lies within me. Do you not remember when you saw me in different colours? The first time I released that part of me, I nearly kill over a thousand Decepticons! But that was only because Megatron had killed my sparkmate and my son!"

"**To the Pit with your other part**," Hot Shot cried angrily, his tone rising beyond its normal point. "**I care about you, Optimus, and the other Autobots know that as well as you or I do! Do you not think I am aware of your uncontrollable side that lies deep inside your spark if you lose control over your emotions? That only happens if someone you love gets hurt or is killed!**"

Optimus whirled his head to face Hot Shot, his golden optics flashing a bright sunflower colour. "**That is why we cannot have that kind of relationship between us, Hot Shot!**" he bellowed. "**If we go through with becoming a family and you get hurt or die, then I will unleash that monster that lies within me and I will kill anyone that gets in the line of fire or those that are responsible for hurting the ones that I love! I don't want that to be you!**"

After the shouting had died down, the echo fading into the passageways of the base, the two Autobots stared at each other, neither breathing nor saying a word. The shock of raising their voices at each other had stung one of them more painfully than the other did... and it wasn't Optimus.

Hot Shot bowed his head, looking at the floor instead of Optimus. The hurtful expression on his face was enough to make anyone want to come forward and comfort him. It took Optimus an astrosecond later to realise what he had done, and his optics widened with horror. "Hot Shot, I..." he tried to say.

But it was too late. The damage had been done.

Hot Shot picked himself up off the medical berth, pulling out the energon dripper from his right arm and disconnecting the spark monitor from his chest plate. He then limped painfully out of the room, leaving a shocked Optimus behind.

* * *

The young mech limped quietly through the corridors. He didn't care where he was going, but all he could think about was getting as far away as possible from Optimus. His vision blurred from a set of tears that trailed down his cheeks and stained the floor of the base. He was unaware that he was still leaking from the dent in his midsection, and it made it difficult to even breathe or even think clearly in what he was doing.

He encountered no one as he continued to move down the passageway and arrived at the command centre. He glanced around for a moment and then approached the computer's console. He punched in a few commands that told the computer that he was going to take a space bridge out of the base and get as far away from the base as he possibly could. He didn't know what kind of coordinates he had set in, but all he could think about was the hurt that lingered deep inside his spark and the fact that Optimus had spoken the truth to him.

He bowed his head regretfully, but it was too late to turn back now.

Once he was done, he then took the elevator down to the space bridge room, energon dripping down his front and onto the floor. He stood before the space bridge and transformed into his vehicle mode, which earned a groan of pain from his vocal processor, but he didn't care. Though the transformation was painful, he forced himself to keep on going until he sat on all four wheels. The only thing that mattered was that he could no longer stop this senseless act of getting away. He needed time to himself, away from the kids, away from the Mini-Cons, away from the other Autobots... away from Optimus Prime.

He was sick and tired of trying to convince Optimus that there was nothing wrong with being a family. Now this had forced his hand to leave quickly, despite the energon he was losing and the huge amount of pain that was spreading through his interiors.

"_Hot Shot, where are you going?"_ a familiar voice called just as a small orange helicopter hovered in front of him.

"Jolt?" he questioned with surprise when he saw his Mini-Con partner. "No, don't try to stop me. I just want some time alone."

"_But you're still injured,"_ Jolt protested gently. _"Let me come with you and tend to your wounds."_

"No, Jolt, just leave me alone," Hot Shot growled. "I just need some time to myself. After what happened between me and Optimus, I don't think I even have the circuitry to stay here. Please, just let me go and I'll come back when I've cooled down. I promise."

For a moment, Jolt thought about what his friend really wanted. He hovered up and down as he considered what to do. Finally, he transformed into his robotic form and beeped sadly, _"Alright, Hot Shot, I'll let you go."_ Then he stood up straight. _"But at least let me keep you company, and then I won't end up telling anyone."_

The young mech laughed, but it only caused him pain. "Ow, don't make me laugh. It hurts. However, I guess I can't forbid you from coming along. Go on and powerlink with me, old buddy, it will make the trip much easier for you."

Jolt didn't need to be told twice as he transformed into his helicopter form again and then attached to the back of Hot Shot's vehicle form. And as the space bridge lit up to take them to their destination, he powered up Jolt's blades and he sped on through without too much of a problem.

There was nothing but a small puddle of energon on the floor of the room.

* * *

"_Hot Shot, are you sure it was a good idea to come here?"_ Jolt asked nervously.

Hot Shot sat in his vehicle mode on the edge of a cliff that overlooked a deep canyon. From what he could tell, this was still somewhere in America. Whereabouts, he had no idea. All he knew was that it was far away from the Autobot base, and he had no one but Jolt for company. He chuckled at Jolt's question, pretending not to be bothered by the huge sight that lay below them.

Although there were dark clouds lingering ahead, indicating that a storm was on its way, Hot Shot was not in the best kind of mood to worry about anything. This place was perfect for him to enjoy without having to be constantly hounded by the others.

"Ah, you worry too much, Jolt," he snickered. "This is a good place for us to enjoy. There's nothing to worry about at all."

A loud clap of thunder boomed across the sky, causing Jolt to squeak nervously.

"I'm not afraid of a bit of thunder," Hot Shot shouted to the heavens. "Nothing frightens me!"

Ignoring Jolt's cautious protest, he revved his engine and headed down a small pathway that was just barely big enough to fit his entire width. He laughed with excitement as the force of gravity dragged him all the way down to the bottom of the canyon like a rollercoaster. He couldn't help but tease Jolt for squealing like a little femme as they had rolled down.

"_It's not funny!"_ Jolt huffed, pretending to be angry.

"Oh come on, Jolt," Hot Shot said, "where's your sense of adventure?"

"_I left it back at the top of the canyon,"_ Jolt answered.

If Hot Shot had his optics, he would have rolled them at Jolt. But since he was still in his vehicle mode, he couldn't really do it. Now that they were at the bottom of the path, he could keep on going. He revved his engine once again and then sped down the canyon as fast as he could. He laughed as Jolt let off a long beep of a squeal. It was so much fun with just himself and Jolt, and with his communicator off, he had no one else to bother him while he was enjoying his time alone.

He had been driving for almost an hour, still not paying much attention to the dark, rolling thunder clouds. All he could think about was taking his anger and frustration out on the ground that lay out before him.

It wasn't long after when he came to a dead end of the canyon. A huge pile of rubble lay in front of him and he was forced to come to a halt.

Confused, he transformed into his bipedal mode and looked up at the massive blockage. It almost looked like it was some sort of dam. On top of the rocks were old rotten trees, their limbs twisting and intertwining with each other. Something told Hot Shot that water lay on the other side and was the rubble was preventing it from going any further.

"_Hot Shot, maybe we should leave,"_ insisted Jolt worriedly. _"From what I'm detecting, that pile of rubble is blocking off a huge amount of water and it's not very stable. Anything could easily upset it."_

Now Hot Shot really found it necessary to roll his optics. "Oh quit your worrying, Jolt," he chuckled. "You'll end up turning into Optimus if you keep that attitude of yours going."

The sheer mention of Optimus Prime caused the bubbling fury deep inside his spark to swell a little. He sighed and looked at the wall of the canyon, ashamed. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to leave the base after all. He was about to tell Jolt that he was right when something cold and wet landed on his nose.

"_Hot Shot, it's starting to rain,"_ Jolt told him, confirming what had just landed on him.

The young mech glanced up at the sky as several more drops of water began to pelt down on him. The tapping noise on his metallic body indicated as such as a huge wave of rain came down hard and fast shortly after. He should go and find some shelter while he still could because it was an hour's drive back to where they had started. "Jolt, is there a cave nearby?" he asked his little friend.

"_No, there isn't a single cave in this area that come in your size,"_ Jolt answered.

Hot Shot slapped his forehead with a hand and he pinched the bridge of his nose with his pointer and thumb. What an idiot he had been!

_Creak!_

He froze for a moment as his audio receptors picked up a noise unlike anything he had heard before. "Uh... Jolt, what was that noise?"

"_Sensors indicate that the noise came from in front of us,"_ the orange Mini-Con replied.

Hot Shot turned his head slowly and he realised what Jolt had meant. Water was beginning to leak from in between the old trees on the top of the rubble dam, and some of them had shifted slightly. Then it sunk in when he realised what was happening.

"_Hot Shot, we have to get out of here!"_ Jolt cried in alarm.

The young mech didn't need to be told twice as he turned and transformed back into his vehicle mode, but his back wheels only ended up getting caught in a pile of mud. They spun uselessly as he fought to get out of it as quickly as he could. "Jolt, give me more power!" he shouted at the top of his vocal processor.

"_I'm pushing myself as hard as I can to get you out of here!"_ Jolt answered as his spinning propellers whirled when he pushed his engine to the maximum. _"You have to keep trying! Hurry!"_

There wasn't much time left as the dam began to shift a little bit more inch by frightening inch.

"Frag it all to the Pit!" Hot Shot snapped. He then transformed into his robot mode and used his two legs to run as fast he possibly could. Though it was difficult to run as his injured midsection still ached from where Ultra Magnus had punched him. "Jolt, see if you can try and lift me out of here!" he ordered.

"_I'm sorry, Hot Shot, I'm out of energy,"_ Jolt replied quietly.

Damn it! Hot Shot had no choice but to make a run for a steep, muddy slope. He struggled to climb up it, but his heavy weight combined with the Earth's gravity only made him slide back down. He had to force himself to keep on running just as the dam started to break even further thanks to the heavy pounding of rain.

"_**HOT SHOT, BEHIND YOU!**__" _Jolt screamed.

Hot Shot turned his head in time to see the dam had completely burst and a gigantic tidal wave of muddy water, rocks and branches headed straight towards him. He quickly pulled Jolt off from his behind and threw him into the air, much to the dismay of the little Mini-Con. He ordered Jolt to fly away just as the massive force of the water hit him.

The force was so powerful that it lifted him off his pedes and he was carried down the canyon with incredible speed. He coughed and struggled to keep his head above the surface, but it was useless as many branches and rocks slammed into him and hitting his still recovering injuries, causing him severe pain. A massive branch from an old oak tree hit him in the side of his head, damaging his communicator and almost knocking him unconscious.

"_Hot Shot!"_ Jolt's frantic voice cried from above.

Through the foaming water, Hot Shot could make out Jolt following him as close as possible. He tried to shout to his friend to stay away, but he only ended up getting a mouthful of mud. Even though he could easily breathe underwater without any trouble, the mud in the water would only end up clogging up his oxygen tanks.

He soon became deaf and blind with his whole body bobbing up and down in the water and he could no longer stay afloat. All he could do was wave his arms like a maniac in an attempt to grab hold of something that would save his life.

"_Hot Shot, there's a branch to your left that's caught in the canyon wall!"_ Jolt cried. _"Try to grab it!"_

From Hot Shot's field of vision, he could barely make out what Jolt had said, but he managed to spot a massive branch wedged in the canyon's wall. He tried to swim towards it, but the water seemed to shove him in the opposite direction.

Something planted itself against his back and he felt himself being pushed towards it. He realised that it was none other than Jolt who was helping him. He tried to thank him, but his throat was clogged up by the muddy water. All he could do was reach out for the branch that could give him a chance to get out of the canyon.

"_Grab it, Hot Shot,"_ Jolt ordered.

Hot Shot complied by wrapping both his hands around the thick branch. He felt Jolt back away from him and he was able to make out an orange blur hover in front of him. "J-Jolt," the young mech wheezed, "I-I don't think this branch will last. See i-i-if you can find help."

"_Don't move,"_ the Mini-Con said calmly. _"I'll try to find help. See if you can at least try to call the base."_

"I-I can't," Hot Shot whimpered as a wave of pain hit him in the midsection and he spotted a trail of energon leaking into the muddy water and mixing with it. "My com-link got damaged by a passing branch. J-Jolt, I feel dizzy..."

True to his words, Hot Shot's head rolled to one side and he nearly ended up dunking his head beneath the water's surface.

Jolt hovered right beside Hot Shot's head and pushed it upwards slightly, helping him to hold it above the water. Hot Shot was exhausted from the way how the sloshing water was still attempting to carry him down the rest of the canyon. His energy was completely gone from his own body, and he felt weak due to the continuous amount of energon that was coming out of his injuries.

"_Hang on, Hot Shot,"_ Jolt whispered in his audio receptors.

"I'm trying," Hot Shot snarled. "How do you think I feel in being in this situation?"

His hand slowly began to loosen its grip on the branch.

"Frag it, just go find help or call the base!" he demanded angrily. "I can't hold on for much longer!"

Jolt nodded and he transformed into his helicopter form, then lifted up into the air and flew out of Hot Shot's view.

Hot Shot could feel his grip loosening even further and he wasn't sure how much time he had left. The foaming water kept on getting into his mouth and an extra wave of dizziness hit him hard. He had to try and focus on staying alive long enough for Jolt to bring outside help. That is if anyone was out there or if he could communicate with the base to let them know that he was in trouble.

He watched as branches and rocks floated past him almost at the speed of sound. They were too fast for him to calculate and a huge rock was heading straight towards him. He tried to move out of the way, but the powerful water kept him from moving and the boulder continued to slowly move towards him.

Just before the boulder hit him, he managed to spot a huge, shadowy figure leap off the edge of a cliff and fly towards him at lightning speed. Its left hand reached out to him and it managed to grab Hot Shot's own just as he was about lose his grip on the uprooting tree and before the boulder could reach him. The figure then powered up its thrusters and lifted his weakened body easily out of the foaming water, taking him to safety.

Hot Shot gagged painfully as he struggled to stay conscious, but he couldn't any longer and he found his recharge system takeover his willpower, his world turning completely black.

* * *

Dun, dun, dun! So, who did Jolt get to save Shotty? Can you guess? Find out in the next chapter!


	6. Dividing Path

OMG! I swear this poor dear needed an update and my muse isn't cooperating in regards to Inherit. I'm still in note processing on that story, so I thought I'd try and update this baby until my muse gets back into a working order. I hope you enjoy this long overdue chapter. Yeesh.

* * *

Hot Shot's optics switched online when he felt a light poke on his chest. His entire vision was a blur as he came full circle. From what he could make out, he could see green, brown and dark blue, but they were too hazy to really make out. On his chest, a small orange and silver form with pale blue optics looked down upon him. Finally, Hot Shot's vision cleared and came into perfect focus. He blinked several times and realised that the orange and silver form perched on him was his Mini-Con partner Jolt.

"Jolt?" the young mech questioned as he sat up slowly, wincing a little from the wave of pain in his side. "W-what happened?" He glanced around at his surroundings. "Where are we?"

The little Mini-Con blinked once and relief washed over his facial expression. _"Take it easy, Hot Shot,"_ he told his friend kindly and carefully pushed him back down against a rock that he had been resting against. _"Your rescuer spent a lot of time and attention welding up your wounds. Don't try and aggravate them and make it worse for yourself."_

"Alright," Hot Shot sighed. "But at least tell me what happened and where we are."

Jolt nodded and hovered over to a rock that was next to Hot Shot's. He tilted his head to one side as though he was listening for something before he settled himself down, legs dangling over the edge of his perch. _"I'll do my best to explain, but it may take a while,"_ he said softly, crossing one leg over his knee. _"When you sent me off to go and find help, I was torn between staying with you and doing as ordered, but I had no choice. I flew for at least a few minutes, crying out for help when I met your rescuer."_

"Huh, that didn't take long," Hot Shot chuckled.

The Mini-Con giggled in response as he continued, _"He didn't show himself to me because he was hiding somewhere close enough for me to hear him speak. He then asked why I was crying out for help and then stopped in his talking. I don't know why, but I suspect he knew what I was. Anyway, I then explained to him what was happening and he seemed to hesitate a minute. It was as if he recognised your name or something, but whatever it was he then quickly ordered me to direct him to where you were in trouble. _

"_I did so and then this huge rush of wind hit me and knocked me off balance. Next thing I knew, the shadow shot over me, but not before this hand reached out for me as he took me along with him to find you. Once we found you, he picked you up out of the water and then took you here in the middle of the woods._

"_When he put you down gently, he proceeded to weld up your injuries. He was ever so gentle with his work, it was as if he was afraid of injuring you further in your current state. Once he was finished, he told me to stay with you for a while and then he left without warning. We've been alone for approximately three and a half Earth hours."_

Hot Shot glanced down at his midsection to confirm what Jolt was saying. Not that he didn't trust Jolt with his words, he just wanted to see for himself. Much to his surprise, he found that his wounds were completely sealed up almost perfectly. Though not as perfect as Red Alert's work, it was still pretty good work.

Nodding in satisfaction, he returned his gaze back to Jolt. "Did you get a good look at the mech?" he asked him. "Do you know who he is?"

Jolt shrugged. _"He refused to identify himself,"_ he replied, _"but he had a missing Autobot symbol on his chest."_

"Wait, what?" Hot Shot cried, alarm in his tone. He glanced around nervously, but then his spark leapt into his throat when he heard the footsteps of an approaching figure. In a matter of seconds, the figure appeared from amongst the trees. He was light blue, navy blue and white with the same chassis as Optimus Prime, but the only difference was the enormous wings sprouting from his back.

"Ultra Magnus?" the young mech whispered. "What the frag?"

* * *

Optimus bowed his head in disgrace. The moment Hot Shot had walked out of the med bay, everything hit home and the guilt finally settled in. He had been wrong to push Hot Shot away the moment after everything returned to normal. But the creature that lurked deep within his spark had made him worry that he would hurt Hot Shot too in the future if it got out of hand again, just like how he had brutally attacked Megatron in order to protect him.

He sank further into his bed, covering his face with one hand to hide the shame of what had transpired.

How could he face the one mech who had reminded him so much of his long-gone son before everything went straight to hell at the hands of his nemesis? How could he even face his friends and the world again?

"Optimus?" a familiar voice spoke up, interrupting his thoughts. He looked up and saw Red Alert standing in front of a closed door. The blue and silver mech approached him with a concerned look in his red visor. "Are you alright, Sir?" He took one good look at Hot Shot's bed and returned his gaze to the Autobot commander. "Where is Hot Shot?"

Optimus looked down again, unable to answer his old friend.

Red Alert tilted his head to one side, waiting for the explanation to come up with a patient audio receptor.

Finally, Optimus answered, "Red... Hot Shot and I got into an argument about... about our father/son relationship coming to an end six months ago. You and Scavenger know my reasons why. The argument got so heated up that we ended up yelling at each other. I said something hurtful and I tried to apologise to him, but Hot Shot stormed out the room. I'm..."

Red Alert raised an arm, silencing Optimus. "It's alright, Optimus, I understand why you had to end it between you and Hot Shot." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Do you know where Hot Shot is now?"

Optimus' silence gave the CMO the answer he needed. He activated his com-link. "Jetfire, can you find Hot Shot's energy signature? He left the med-bay and we have no idea where he is."

"_I'm scanning the base with its sensors even as you speak, Red,"_ Jetfire answered. _"It won't be a nanosecond."_

The scanning took less than Red Alert thought when Jetfire got back to him.

"_That's strange,"_ Jetfire mumbled to himself. _"Either the scanners are not working or Hot Shot isn't even in the base."_

Both Red Alert and Optimus looked up in fear and surprise. "Check the space bridge's last activation," Red Alert ordered urgently.

Jetfire answered without a moment's hesitation. _"Hot Shot's activation code was used just seven hours ago on the space bridge, but he hasn't requested it to return him."_

Optimus bowed his head when his second in command finished reporting. "This is all my fault," he sighed, covering his optics with a hand. "If I had been more open with Hot Shot in the first place instead of shutting him out, then none of this would have happened."

A gentle hand rested upon his shoulder and he looked up to see Red Alert looking down upon him with a reassuring look in his visor. "It's not your fault, Optimus," he said kindly. "Try not to worry. Hot Shot probably left the base to cool down, but considering his condition, it obviously wasn't a good idea."

Optimus just nodded robotically.

"Get some rest, my friend. I'll get a team together and we'll go find him." With that said, he departed, leaving Optimus alone with his thoughts once again.

* * *

Hot Shot struggled to understand why Ultra Magnus – of all Autobots – had to save him. It puzzled him to no end as to why he would do that when he pretty much showed that he hated his own metal and energon. Ultra Magnus honestly hated Optimus for taking what belonged to him long ago, anyone knew that now.

"Why?" the young mech questioned as he pulled Jolt closer to his chest to protect him, staring at the scarred dark blue and white version of Optimus Prime. "Why would you save me when you clearly hate us? You could have just left me to drown in the river, yet you went down and saved my life."

Magnus shrugged, leaning on a tree that easily took most of his weight and folding his arms across his chest. "I was in the neighbourhood when your Mini-Con crossed my path and explained your situation to me. While I was reluctant in saving the one I hurt in order to get to Optimus, the words of my brother echoed through my processor about not deserving to wear the Autobot symbol."

He tapped his helmet to prove a point. "After that, I carried your Mini-Con back to where he had come from and pulled you out of the water. I spent the last few hours unclogging the mud from your insides and joints, including repairing the damage to your midsection, the very spot that I hit."

Hot Shot frowned, finally convinced by what the rogue Autobot had said since what Jolt had explained to him connected with his story. "Did you managed to repair my damaged com-link?" he asked curiously.

Magnus shook his head. "I couldn't because I didn't have the necessary components to do it," he replied. "However, while I was out on patrol, I left a beacon out in the open for the Autobots to find when they come to look for you."

"How do you know all this?" Hot Shot questioned, raising an optic ridge.

The dark blue and white mech turned his head away, but answered, "I just know."

He then turned his back on the young mech, but not before a small figure perched on his shoulder peeked out from behind his wings. Hot Shot blinked in surprise when he realised it was his Mini-Con partner. The Mini-Con beeped in excitement when it saw Jolt and leapt off the larger mech's shoulder, then proceeded to run over to him.

Jolt approached him too and the Mini-Con, who identified itself as Knock Out, tapped Jolt on the shoulder with a finger and ran off. Jolt beeped with laughter and gave chase. Soon, the two little Mini-Cons were playing happily together. Jolt eventually caught up with Knock Out and tackled him. They rolled and tumbled over each other, laughing in giddiness as they continued their rough play.

Hot Shot and Magnus watched, bemused by this unusual play, but neither one of them interrupted them. However, Hot Shot noticed a faraway look in the taller mech's sunflower optics and he wondered what was bothering him and what he was thinking. He tilted his head to one side, watching him quietly, but Magnus hardly seemed to notice his questioning look at all.

And then a question formed at the back of Hot Shot's processor: Was he flashing back to a time when he and Optimus were still younglings? Back before when this whole mess started?

Whatever was going on in Magnus' head, Hot Shot hoped that it wasn't a painful memory.

* * *

Jetfire was the first to emerge from the space bridge, arriving at the exact same coordinates that Hot Shot had set himself to arrive at. He glanced around warily before he gave the signal, waving one of his hands in a 'come forward' gesture. Before long, Hoist, Red Alert, Starscream and Sideswipe arrived behind him. Jetfire was relieved when Blurr and Scavenger volunteered to stay behind and look after the base and Optimus while they looked for Hot Shot. Even though this was a search mission, they never knew when the Decepticons may show up to cause trouble again like last time.

Still, the fact remained that one of their own Autobots was both injured and missing, and hadn't contacted the base for a return space bridge. It struck Jetfire as worried and suspicious. Whatever happened to his earthbound friend, he was certain that something or someone was behind in Hot Shot's disappearance.

Sighing, he glanced over at Red Alert, who had his hand-held scanner at the ready. "Anything on the scanner, Red?" he asked, a slight frown forming on his optics.

Red Alert didn't answer for a moment as he swung the scanner over the area for a moment. The scanner bleeped faintly in a few directions before it started beeping frantically, confirming it had found something. "Looks like there's an energon trail heading in the direction of the canyon over there," he said, inclining his head.

Jetfire nodded. "Alright, here's what we'll do," he said, taking charge of the situation, "Red, you'll take Hoist and Sideswipe and follow the energon trail." He glanced over at Starscream. "Starscream and I will take to the air and see what we can find. If you come across Megatron and his goons, do not engage them. We'd be powerless without Optimus to face off against them and I can't afford to lose anyone. Understood?"

The Autobots all nodded in agreement, giving the confirmation that they heard. "Agreed," they answered in unison.

"Let's get going," Jetfire ordered. "Roll out!"

Transforming into their vehicle modes, Hoist, Sideswipe and Red Alert headed off towards the canyon, following the trail of leaked energon. Jetfire and Starscream headed in another direction with Jetfire taking the lead.

Silence drowned out in Jetfire's audio receptors as he and Starscream flew wherever they went. His thoughts eventually drifted over to his worry for Hot Shot. He hadn't been this worried about the young mech since the time he had been kidnapped by Megatron and his identity threatened to be taken away from him. If Megatron had kidnapped Hot Shot again just to get to Optimus, then Jetfire would not hesitate to rip out the Decepticon general's own identity circuits.

"_Red Alert to Jetfire, do you read me?"_

Jetfire had been so busy thinking that he hadn't heard Red Alert's voice contacting him via the com-link and that time had slipped by quickly without his knowledge. He twisted somewhat in the air until he corrected his position. "Sorry, Red, I was in my own world. What have you got for us?"

"_It's alright, Jetfire. I understand. As for the report, the trail led down into the canyon on a thin road but that's where it stopped,"_ explained Red Alert.

"Stopped?" Starscream asked in his raspy voice. "Why would it just stop?"

"_I don't know, but when we looked down into the canyon, all we could see was a large trail of water, mud, tree branches and rocks. I did another scan of the area and it has a small trace of energon going along the small trail. That's where we lost the trail."_

If Jetfire still had his head right now, he would have frowned. Instead, he asked, "Do you think it's possible that Hot Shot was swept downstream?"

"_It's likely so,"_ Hoist answered.

"_No, I don't believe it,"_ Sideswipe snapped unexpectedly. _"And don't you even dare think for a moment that Hot Shot is offline!"_

"Sideswipe, we're not even thinking that Hot Shot is offline," Jetfire reassured the young mech. "But we still have to consider all options and be prepared for the worst."

"_But..."_ Sideswipe tried to say, but then Starscream interrupted him with a cry of surprise, alerting the rest of the Autobots and getting their full attention.

"What is it, Starscream?" Jetfire asked, concerned as he flew closer next to him.

"Don't you detect it, Jetfire?" Starscream asked irritably. "My sensors just picked up a distress beacon not too far away from our position. Open up your long range sensors and you'll see it!"

Puzzled, Jetfire did exactly as Starscream suggested until he too detected a distress beacon that was repeating a message over and over again that simply said: _"Come this way, your friend Hot Shot is alive and well."_

"Red Alert, Starscream and I found a distress beacon that's telling us Hot Shot is alive! I'll give you the coordinates, but we're going ahead to check it out. We'll see you soon. Jetfire out."

Without another word, Starscream began pulling ahead and Jetfire followed after him, heading towards a group of trees where they believed the signal was coming from. Jetfire mentally prayed and hoped that the message was indeed real and not some trick. Whoever had set the beacon there, they obviously embedded it with Autobot coding that could only be noticed by Autobot sensors and nothing else.

_Hang on, Hot Shot, we're coming._

As they drew closer, Jetfire suddenly noticed a pair of energy signatures just several kilometres from where he and Starscream were. Announcing his discovery to his companion, the two descended lower to get a better look.

* * *

Hot Shot watched Magnus quietly, who didn't seem to have snapped out of whatever memory he was glancing at in his processor. Magnus hadn't said a word for a good whole hour and it was beginning to worry the younger Autobot. Finally, he summoned the courage to ask him, "What's bothering you, Magnus?"

Without warning, the taller mech whirled upon him, optics flaring dangerously and his mouth forming into an aggressive snarl. "Do _not_ ask dumb questions around me, kid, and do _not_ call me Magnus! Do I make myself clear?"

At the sudden angry tone Magnus used, Hot Shot scooted backwards into his rock, baby blue optics wide in shock. In response as well, Jolt and Knock Out hid behind his leg, trembling in fear. They had obviously never experienced the Prime's elder brother's anger before.

Growling, Hot Shot boldly lifted himself up on his pedes. "Why did you snap like that when all I did was ask a question?" he hissed, hands clenching into fists.

As if Magnus saw the fury in Hot Shot's optics, he simply and quietly answered, "You wouldn't understand." He turned away, but not until he glanced up as if he sensed something coming towards them. Hot Shot frowned as his sensors detected two energy signatures closing in on their position, and he recognised them as Jetfire and Starscream. "Your friends are here," Magnus whispered without warning. He then called Knock Out over to his side.

Knock Out turned to look at Jolt and beeped something sadly to him before running back to his master's side and hops onto his shoulder. Magnus then powered up his thrusters, dust and grass kicking up in his wake as he slowly lifted up into the air.

Hot Shot suddenly cried out to him, "Ultra Magnus, I won't forget that you saved my life!"

Magnus glanced down for a moment at Hot Shot, pausing in midflight, and made a gesture at him, puzzling the young Autobot. Without warning, he ignited his thrusters and flew off in the opposite direction of Jetfire and Starscream.

Jetfire and Starscream spotted the dark blue and white rogue Autobot flying away from them, and then Jetfire's sensors detected the weak energy signature of Hot Shot. Starscream powered up his thrusters in preparation to go after Magnus, but Jetfire told him it was not worth it and that they didn't need to worry about him anyway.

Transforming into their bipedal forms, they spot Hot Shot waving them down and they descended downwards to greet their lost friend and comrade.


End file.
